


Peach Blossoms

by QueenandLeonhardt



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, another tattoo artist au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 21:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15693558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenandLeonhardt/pseuds/QueenandLeonhardt
Summary: Dr. Takashi Shirogane isn’t one for impulsive decisions. He’s comfortable with the practical and basic, especially after the accident. A cute tattoo artist at his best friend’s tattoo shop could change all that.Aka another tattoo artist au nobody asked for.





	Peach Blossoms

“Altea” was the tattoo parlour owned by Shiro’s childhood friend Allura. Shiro stopped before entering, gazing at the pink neon sign with the name of the shop shining through the window. He’d never entered a tattoo shop before. This really wasn’t a surprise considering his history as Professor Shirogane. It wasn’t like his job completely hindered him from getting a tattoo or piercing, he had just never truly wanted to spend the money and favoured practicality. It’s also not like he was truly adverse to tattoos either, he’d just honestly never thought about it once he’d turned eighteen. When invited into the shop by Allura, he was initially a little frightened of the potential atmosphere, but he trusted her. 

Allura had been just an artist before when they were in college together, but had recently decided to open a tattoo parlour with a few friends she’d gained in the college’s art program. Shiro hadn’t met these friends before, but he trusted Allura when she said that he would love them.

Shiro finally stepped into the tattoo shop, a bell ringing once he entered. 

As nervous as he was to go into a piercing and tattoo parlour, he couldn’t help but smile. The entire area was very Allura and not like any other tattoo place he’d ever walked by before. There were flowers set on a lilac desk, light glittering floors, and beautiful sketches of possible tattoos that adorned the walls, some of which he recognised as her own watercolour paintings. Shiro sat down on one of the cushy chairs of the waiting area, ready to leave as soon as Allura was ready. 

Apparently hearing the small ding of a customer entering, a man appeared from one of the five rooms situated in the back of the shop. 

“Hey, my name is Keith. Are you here for a consultation?” the man asked curiously, probably wondering what a customer was doing here just thirty minutes before closing time. 

Shiro meant to give an answer, he really did, but he suddenly became tongue-tied. Keith was beautiful. His eyes were incredibly striking. They were a deep blue, almost violet. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail, strands falling out that framed his angular face and high cheekbones. His body was slim, but Shiro could tell he was lithe underneath his tight clothing. He was wearing a leather jacket with a black tank top underneath, tight jeans with holes in them, and fingerless gloves. All of this added up to a type Shiro never thought he’d be interested in, but Keith was most definitely the exception. 

He smiled, clearly misinterpreting Shiro’s reaction. “Is this your first tattoo? There's nothing wrong with being nervous. I could show you some portfolios, if you want?” 

Shiro nodded dumbly, not sure how else to answer. 

“We’re all pretty flexible, but each of us has a specialty,” he explained, going back behind the lightly coloured desk. He returned with four thick binders in his arms. “Have you thought about what you might want? A traditional design? Realism? Watercolour is pretty popular right now, and our artist Allura is really good at it.” 

Shiro nodded again, knowing too well about Allura’s artistic skills. He’d seen from a young age how the girl had grown from sketches all the other kids would laugh at, to beautiful works of art that would place highly in every competition she entered. It was never first; first was almost always awarded to a kid with paintings of colourful flowers, and one particularly beautiful portrait of stars surrounded by a beautiful space setting of purples and blues (stars and space Shiro would always love to gaze at and wonder what could have happened), but Allura’s watercolour was nothing but beautiful everytime. 

“If you're not sure what you want, I can talk you through a few,” Keith offered. He pulled the single red binder out from the pile carefully. He handed it to Shiro. “Here are some of my designs. If you don't like anything I suggest you check Allura’s stuff. Pidge and Lance are good, but you seem like you'd want something subtle and less surrealistic.” 

Shiro opened the binder and couldn't help but find himself stunned just by the first page. The sketch was absolutely beautiful—almost as much as its artist. It was of a cluster of beautiful flowers with a hint of lilac colouring them. Light green leaves curled from the sides of the beautiful purple petals. It was so perfectly detailed too; the veins of leaves and folds of petals leaving the picture nearly lifelike. Despite the attention to detail, there was also something about the smooth curve of the flowers and leaves that made it unique from any real flower he could find outside. 

Turning through the other pages, it became apparent to Shiro that Keith loved tattooing flowers. There were a variety of subjects that were all wonderful to look at (particularly the ones of planets and space that made Shiro’s heart ache), but the flowers were especially beautiful. Suddenly a specific page caught his eye. 

“These were my Grandfather’s favourite flowers,” Shiro murmured, running his fingers across the page of the delicate and pink peach blossoms. “Momo…” 

Shiro had lost both of his parents very young only to be raised by his grandfather. His grandfather was a great man and took care of Shiro even though he was old and sick. Shiro had just entered college in America when his grandfather died. He missed his grandfather, and seeing the drawn peach blossoms only made his heart feel warm. His grandfather would have loved the picture of the flowers, that much Shiro knew. 

The memory somehow wasn’t sad, but pleasant and fond. It pulled Shiro in and made him want to have the design forever placed on his skin. 

Keith nodded. “That’s one of the sketches I’m most proud of, but people tend to go after the roses and sunflowers. Those are nice enough, but they get a little tiring to do over and over. I’ve been waiting to put these on somebody.” 

“They’re beautiful,” Shiro complimented genuinely. “I really like these.” 

Keith smiled at him. It made Shiro’s breath hitch. “Would you like me to do a sketch for you to make it a little more unique? We can talk colour and price too, if you’d like. It’s okay if you want to wait to decide. I have a few open spots tomorrow and the day after if you want to talk then and maybe come up with a design you might like?”

Shiro suddenly came to the realisation that Keith genuinely thought Shiro was here to get a tattoo. Shiro flushed, realising he’d have to tell Keith that he’d only come here to pick up Allura for dinner. What a way to make a first impression. 

Shiro opened his mouth to give Keith the most embarrassing news of the century, before thankfully Shiro’s light haired friend came out of one of the back rooms. 

“Shiro!” Allura called, a bright grin on her face as she rushed over to where Shiro was sitting. “I’m sorry for taking so long, I just had to finish this sketch for a customer. Are you ready to go?” 

She paused to take in what Shiro was doing before absolutely beaming. “Looking at Keith’s designs? I hadn’t realised you were interested in a tattoo! Beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Very beautiful,” Shiro agreed, gazing back at the peach blossoms on the page. “I love the flowers.” 

Keith’s eyebrows pinched together. “You know each other?”

Allura nodded. “This is the childhood friend I’ve mentioned.”

“Oh, yeah,” Keith said in recognition. He turned to look at Shiro. “Shiro, right?” 

Shiro nodded. Despite Allura’s entrance saving him from making his own awkward admission, Shiro couldn’t help but feel incredibly stupid now that Keith knew Shiro wasn’t here for a tattoo and he’d just wasted minutes of his time. Shiro was thankful that Keith didn’t seem to mind at all. 

Keith held out his hand. “Allura talks about you a lot. It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

Shiro shook his hand with his left, appreciating Keith’s lack of hesitation and desperately trying to ignore how good it felt to have Keith’s much smaller hand in his. Shiro’s hand practically engulfed Keith’s, his small hand calloused and warm. Shiro flushed, realising suddenly he had a kink he’d never thought he had. 

“So I’m guessing you don’t actually want a tattoo?” Keith asked, looking slightly amused. Shiro couldn’t help but frown when he felt the loss of Keith’s hand in his when Keith pulled away. “Sorry for overwhelming you with my art.”

Shiro held out his hands. “No! It’s okay! I’m glad I got to see your art!”

Keith seemed slightly taken aback at Shiro’s genuine exclamations. “Well, thanks.” 

Allura grinned. “You should be proud, Keith. Dr. Shirogane doesn’t just hand out compliments to anybody.”

Keith raised his eyebrows at Shiro. “‘Dr.?’ Nice.”

Shiro felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears go red. “Yeah. I just got my PhD in Aerospace Engineering. I teach at Garrison University just near here.” 

Keith let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot of years of school. I only have my masters in art from Garrison University. I honestly don’t think I could do anything more than that.” 

Shiro held back a wince. Keith looked young, maybe only in his early twenties. Shiro wasn’t old by any means, he was still in his twenties, and able to get his PhD earlier than most because he was able to complete some college credits in high school. That didn’t mean however that Keith would be interested in being with old Professor Shirogane who had a scarred face, scarred body, and a tuft of white hair. The shock of white hair and scar on his face especially added age to him. He was pretty sure a man like Keith wouldn’t be able to find him unique or interesting, especially as a potential romantic partner. 

“Yeah, it was,” Shiro said with a strained smile. “Can’t you see my hair? It was the years of stress.” 

Keith let out a slight chuckle, probably believing his hair was dyed. While Shiro really wanted to enjoy the moment of that lovely sound, Allura was frowning at him from behind Keith. She knew the truth of it all. Shiro wasn’t completely lying, it was in fact the stress. However, it was the stress after the accident. The beginning of his many fights with Adam hadn’t helped at all. 

“So,” Keith began slowly. “Are you actually interested in a tattoo? I’d love to have an actual appointment with you. Did you actually like the peach blossoms? We really can talk about a design, if that’s what you want?” 

“I think I’d like that,” Shiro blurted out before truly thinking about what he was saying. 

Allura’s eyebrows rose up and her lips parted slightly in surprise. Shiro understood why. He was practical and not one for impulsive decisions, especially one so permanent. He’d been known to enjoy a little bit of impulse every once in a while back when him and Allura were in their early and mid teens, but after he entered college he’d changed. The accident hadn’t helped at all. However, there was something in particular about Keith’s art that drew Shiro to it. 

“Just an appointment though,” Shiro added quickly. “I’m still sort of unsure about it. I honestly hadn’t even thought about a tattoo until now.”

Keith raised an eyebrow at him and his lips quirked up in amusement. “How about just a simple sketch then? Once you see it you can change some details, but I think it might be helpful to show you a base you could work with. Those don’t take me too long, and maybe it’ll help you decide if you want one or not. You are interested in those peach blossoms though, right?”

Shiro nodded. “Yes. They’re really beautiful, you know? I’ve never seen anything like it. I also think I have some free time tomorrow to talk. I think I’d like to see what you can do.” 

Shiro had planned on throwing himself into grading papers tomorrow, but for some reason Keith made him feel like those plans could change just for once. Allura smiled brightly, knowing exactly what Shiro’s plans had been for the weekend. He knew what she was thinking, as usual. She’d been begging him to take a weekend off for the past year. Not only had he decided he’d live out his teenage dream of getting a tattoo, he was taking a break from work. 

Keith paused a moment with parted lips before laughing loudly. “I don’t know about that, but thanks anyway. I may keep you around more often. You’re awfully good for my ego.”

Shiro liked the sound of being around Keith more often. 

“You could use it, Mr. I’m-realistically-subpar,” Allura mocked. “You know very well Dr. Kolivan, the worst of the worst, called you a prodigy.”

Keith flushed, his pink cheeks and pout incredibly adorable in Shiro’s eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You know very well he had a weakness for anything made with acrylic paint.” 

“Yes, acrylic paint. As in your specialty,” Allura retorted. She turned to look at Shiro with pursed lips. “I suggest we go get dinner soon because otherwise we’ll be fighting with him all night about how very talented he most certainly is.” 

Shiro hesitated with his answer and she raised an eyebrow at him. Her irritation slipping into slight sly smile. “Unless you’re interested in talking with Keith about your tattoo a little longer.” 

Keith shrugged. “It’s going to get late soon, so you guys should probably head to dinner. Shiro and I can always talk tomorrow.” He looked at Shiro. “I have openings at one and three-thirty. How’s one of those sound?” 

Shiro nodded. “How about one?” 

He sounded much too eager. So eager that Allura had to cover her mouth to stop giggles from coming out her lips. 

Keith nodded. “Nice. I’ll write you in.” 

“I’m afraid Keith is right, Shiro,” Allura conceded. “It is getting late. We should probably leave now.” 

Shiro nodded, but really didn’t want to leave their conversation with Keith. He regrettably stood up from his chair to head to the door to wait as Allura grabbed her coat. Keith gave a small salute to the two as they left, the little bell ringing once again. Shiro waved back, giving Keith a smile much too sheepish for Shiro’s taste. Once the door closed behind the two, Shiro let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. 

Allura and Shiro got into his car. It wasn’t until he closed the car door he realised Allura was looking at him with a smirk on her face. 

“What?” Shiro questioned, already feeling nervous. He started his car, but his eyes were trained on her. She had the ability to read people like books. It was an unfortunate talent she’d had since they were kids. 

“He’s bisexual, you know?” she told him slyly. “With a preference for men.” 

“I-I’m not sure what you’re saying,” Shiro stuttered out. “Why would you tell me that?” 

She rolled her eyes. “I usually wouldn’t gossip about other people’s sexualities, but I know how you are. If I don’t tell you you’d never try to ask him on a date.” 

Shiro could feel his face burn and heart beat faster. “Who?”

They both already knew the answer. She’d known him long enough to see his pathetic pining over multiple boys in his lifetime. She’d seen the stuttering and the dusting of pink that donned his cheeks when around his crushes. Despite the multiple crushes over the years, she’d only ever seen him have one boyfriend, and that didn’t end as well as anybody would have wished. While Adam was the one who’d left, Shiro could never truly blame him entirely. He’d closed everybody out after the accident. Allura was the only one who hadn’t given up on him, regardless of how much he shut himself off and threw himself into his work. Being who she was, Allura knew him better than anybody else; that meant that she knew when he was hopelessly pining for a guy. 

“Keith, of course,” she replied as if the answer was obvious (it was). “I saw how you acted around him. That was the disaster gay Shiro I know and love.” 

Shiro looked at her from the corner of his eye. “‘Disaster gay?’ Really?”

She nodded. “You were really obvious, Shiro. Don’t worry though, Keith is oblivious to that sort of thing. No matter who flirts with him, he always seems to never tell. He’s either truly oblivious, or incredibly good at playing oblivious so he doesn’t have to say he’s disinterested.” 

Shiro frowned. “His standards are high then?”

Allura batted at his shoulder playfully. “Nobody could have standards higher than you.” 

Shiro frowned, but didn’t reply. There was certainly one person who’d had his standards high enough to find Shiro was unacceptable. Somebody Shiro had trusted, a man he’d wanted to marry. Allura was trying to make him feel better (she’d told him enough times to forget Adam and find somebody who’d accept him, mental illnesses and all), but Shiro still felt he couldn’t measure up. 

Allura gave a fond smile as she looked out the window. “You know, it’s a long time since I’ve seen Keith laugh like that. You must have really made an impression on him.”

“All I did was make a fool of myself,” Shiro grumbled. “I acted like an idiot.” 

“You remember that painting you loved of those stars back when you’d just started grad school?” Allura said with a chuckle. “You stared at it for an hour.”

Shiro’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion. “Yeah. Outside of your art it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. What about it?” 

She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, please. Shiro, you adored that painting. Nothing I’ve ever made has ever made you look like you’d found your true soulmate.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re telling me this,” Shiro said bashfully, wanting to change the subject and do it fast. 

She grinned. “That was Keith’s painting.”

Shiro’s breath hitched, and he almost swayed off the road. That painting had made him feel like no other piece of art ever had before. Those stars he’d wanted to see in person he felt like he could touch right in front of him. Those varying colours set in acrylic paint on a flat canvas had spoken to him. He’d felt genuine emotion looking at the painting. There was something about the picture that made Shiro feel like he understood the artist. It had made Shiro finally forget the accident and Adam for just a moment. He’d desperately wanted to meet the artist, but had been scared to ask Allura for a name; that was a bad time in his life and his connection with people had been horrible. The last thing he’d wanted to do was to cry and stutter out a compliment in front of one of Allura’s friends. 

Shiro wanted to bang his head against the wheel of his car. He was gone before he’d even realised it. 

Allura hummed happily. “I can’t believe he didn’t recognise you. Everybody could see how enthralled the most beautiful gay man ever was with that painting. Pidge and Hunk called it ‘love at first sight’ in fact.” 

Shiro frowned. He hated when Allura did that. He knew she meant well, but it was truly hard to appreciate her comments. She’d been trying desperately to boost his self-esteem for years now, but he only found her compliments empty words. He knew very well how he looked. He knew the moment Adam didn’t touch (or even kiss) him after Shiro gained the hair and scars how well anybody would find truly how attractive he was. He'd grown comfortable enough with his body after all the exercise that he could be wear tank tops again during the summer. He was sometimes even comfortable enough to take off his shirt when in the company of people he trusted. But allowing a lover to see all of his naked skin? Not for six years. 

“You do know you’ll have to talk about where you want the tattoo, right?” she asked, and Shiro could hear the sadness in her voice. As usual, she could tell exactly what he was thinking. “Tattoos like that work well on the back, you know? Would you be okay with that? I will insist that Keith is a professional and kind, meaning he’d never judge you. He has seen many veterans and other injuries in his time here, we all have.” 

“I… I actually think I would be okay with that,” Shiro replied, surprising both her and himself. “For some reason, I trust Keith.” He laughed humorlessly. “Can you believe me? Know a cute guy for ten minutes and I already think I can trust him. I really am a disaster, aren’t I?” 

“I’m honestly very proud of you, Shiro,” Allura replied seriously. “Opening up like this and wanting to do something out of your usual comfort zone is wonderful. What I saw today was something I haven’t seen in years, and I think that a tattoo would be good for you. You’ve always loved art, and I think a tattoo is an extension of our artistic expression.” 

Shiro couldn’t help but feel she was right. 

“Not to mention, Keith is a wonderful man,” Allura informed. “A little rough around the edges sometimes, but he’s a good artist and a genuinely kind person. He’s been a friend of mine for a while now, and I know how well he’ll be able to work with you for a tattoo you’ll love. Eventually, maybe you’ll both find that you could even be more than that. Only time will tell.” 

Shiro frowned. “‘Rough around the edges?’ He was nothing but nice to me.” 

Allura paused a moment in thought before speaking again. “Not rough per se, but he has trouble letting people in. He has some walls up.” She bumped Shiro’s shoulder with her own. “Kind of like somebody else I know.” 

Shiro chuckled. “Not with you. You probably know too much, actually.” 

He parked his car in the parking lot of Allura’s favourite Italian place. He didn't ask, he'd never had to. They'd spent a lot of time at this place during their college years, so whenever they got the chance they'd come back. It was their place, and Shiro loved hanging out with his best friend. 

She gave him a sly grin, apparently wanting to spend more time talking about him instead of what they'd actually come here to do. “You know, I’m guessing Keith will suddenly be very interested in you once he realises you have an obsession with going to the gym. You know I know very well how many of your button up shirts fit.” 

Shiro groaned and covered his face with his hands, trying desperately to cover the red currently residing on his cheeks. He avoided wearing button up shirts unless accompanied with a sweater vest for a reason (exactly what he was wearing today). The shirt had a tendency to reveal naked skin in between each button as his chest stretched to shirt to its limit. Going to the gym distracted him, and he liked doing anything that could get his mind off his troubles and stress once in a while. It also somewhat helped him gain some confidence with his body. He wasn't happy with it, but exercising to his limit helped him gain the muscle he'd lost when he'd shut himself out. “You promised you’d never judge me. I know I have a problem.”

She hummed happily. “Then maybe I shouldn’t tell you that once your back was turned, Keith was absolutely staring at your ass. I think I may have even seen drool.” 

Shiro sighed. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, Allura.”

She winked at him. “Who said I was lying? I am very aware what a man looks like when he’s checking somebody out--one of our artists Lance has done it enough for me to know exactly what it looks like.” 

Before he could question her any further, she opened the car door and hopped out. She grinned at him before closing the door behind her.

Shiro sighed again, sliding down into his seat. Allura had only made his little crush worse. Yeah, Keith was noticeably nice and attractive, but did Allura really have to express how far Keith’s kindness extended? Now Shiro had a plan to meet up with Keith tomorrow to figure out the tattoo he was probably getting, and Shiro was nothing but nervous. Allura was right (as per usual) when she’d said the tattoo would be good for him, and he recognised that now. He’d initially been intrigued with the idea purely out of interest in the artist, but seeing the peach blossoms was something he couldn’t deny that made him feel something that went beyond a simple crush. Keith’s art was something beautiful, both the blossoms and the perfect portrait of the stars. The pictures made him feel, but also made him remember and forget. He forgot Adam. He forgot throwing himself deep into his work to the point he’d lost treasured relationships. He remembered his interest in the galaxy and all his love for the stars. He remembered all the love his grandfather had for him and the peach blossoms he’d grown outside their home. It was something Shiro felt he wouldn’t mind having forever on his skin. 

Shiro threw his head back against the leather of the driver’s seat. He was completely and utterly doomed.


End file.
